Not the Life I'd Fancied
by iamsarcasm
Summary: Hinata has problems with perfection. She can't stand it. And when she moves to a new town and has to start over, how will that go? With a perfectionist cousin and a few crazy new friends, just what's going to happen here?
1. Chapter 1

**so, thank you to those who've read my other story and come here, and thank you to those who randomly ended up here one day! my other story in progress is Accused of Witchcraft, please check it out!**

**this is the first chapter of this story (duh) and it's rather long. i really can't promise that all of my chapters will be this long...i'm sorry...**

**disclaimer: Narutonot mine**

words and stuff

_thoughts and flashbacks and stuff_

* * *

Hinata stared at the computer in class. She was going to move tomorrow, giving her half of Friday and a full weekend in her new house before starting school there. Her new school didn't have uniforms. Good thing too, she hated solid colors.

Looking at the computer again, she felt like it was mocking her. She already did the work, why was it doing that? The screen was flat, smooth and shiny. The keyboard was centered and clean. The teachers knew about her problem…why didn't they just let her have study hall? She had the grades and good reputation to be on their favorites list yet they still stuck her with this computer laughing at her. Hinata couldn't hear it, but she knew it was laughing hysterically.

_Oh yeah? Let's see how funny it is when I break your face!_

Hinata didn't remember much of that last day of school. Just people yelling at her.

Just going to bed when she got home.

Just destroying the computer screen.

* * *

"Wake up now, we'll be late if you don't!" Hinata's father, Hiashi, yelled at her from the kitchen. Her room, now stripped bare and packed into boxes which were now miles away, had a couple blankets and pillows, her messenger bag, a few sets of clothes, and a stuffed animal bird who had a tear in one wing and in its forehead. The bird was a birthday gift from her mother, her parents had just split up and she was moving away with her dad, so having the bird around was nice. It still didn't change her need for something new to happen. She had her mother's sense of wanderlust; she got bored with her life easily.

Grabbing an apple Hinata looked outside to see her father already in the truck.

"Couldn't you have woken me up a little earlier?!" she shouted as she ran upstairs to get her last things.

"I did wake you up. Three times. You just kept falling back asleep and I had stuff to do. Now hurry up, the other movers will beat us there."

"But they have a key, right? So we can go on a detour?" Hinata had sudden memories of the movie Spirited Away. She saw it as a child and now thought that something like that could happen. Some sort of moving adventure.

"No, they don't have a key. We have to arrive alongside them."

"But can't you ask uncle to let them in? I mean, the house is on his property."

"It's our property now, we'll live alongside them." Hinata's father seemed quite happy with living on a large plot of land with his brother, but Hinata was rather disappointed. She never really got to know her uncle that well and his son was a little full of himself. Neither was on Hinata's 'let's live together' list.

_But maybe something interesting will happen…_

* * *

The drive across the country was boring, at least to Hinata it was. Her father found every opportunity to point out something 'neat' or 'interesting'. However, completely yellow restaurants and vans that are perfect replicas of the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine.

They had finally entered the city where they would live: a nice, downtown sort of area.

"Cool! A city! It looks much livelier than our old one!" Hinata looked out of the window at all of the people and shops they passed, "So which apartment does uncle own?"

"You honestly don't remember?" her father asked, "He lives in the forested area just behind town."

_Ooh, now I get to be the country girl, _Hinata looked down at her purple and black striped shirt and dark blue jeans. She didn't look country, to say the least.

* * *

They pulled up to her uncle's house. His house was red, the empty one next to it, that Hinata assumed they owned, was blue. They had an entire backyard of forests, a cute little pond on the side of the house, and were conveniently located behind:

a coffee shop. Yes, they now lived in the blue house behind the coffee shop.

"Gee, how neat," Hinata couldn't help but stare at the massive building as they drove around it. _You could probably fit a five person family in there…and then bring in both sides' relatives! Why do things these days have to be so huge? There are cars, food portions…just everything!_ Despite the surroundings, the house itself was gorgeous.

Stepping out of the van, Hinata looked up at the house, this time taking in more detail. The house was like a cross between a farm house and a chapel. At the very top was a wide semi-circle window most likely leading to an attic. _I wonder if that could be my room! _The house had a large porch with a two person swing on the right side. It also had a ton of big windows and judging by the bulky chimney there was a fireplace inside. To put it simply: she loved it!

Hinata ran onto the porch while her dad slowly made his way over with the keys.

"Come on dad!" she shouted as an even bigger moving truck pulled up, "The movers will beat you!" Her father sighed as he neared the door.

"Such a lively girl," Hiashi mumbled as he pushed the door open. Hinata practically jumped inside to get a look at the inner areas. Directly in front of her was a massive staircase with a long white banister. All of the floors were a light brown laminated wood, and in the living room area to the right was a grand fireplace. There was one reddish color couch, a floral print rug, and a coffee table that matched the color of the floors. In the back of the room a door leading to the kitchen separated the light yellow walls, and a hallway could be seen behind the staircase. Poking her head around the corner she saw that the short hall led to an empty and rather small room and a bathroom across from it.

"Dad, I found a room for your office!" Hinata pointed back to the hallway as she went into the kitchen.

The kitchen was a medium sized, red and white room. White appliances and red counters were on the left side while a large wood table was on the right. Huge sliding glass doors further to the back opened to a huge patio that continued to become grassy hills, then soon enough become a forest. As Hinata turned to leave, she saw two tall dark wood shelves looming over the table. _If this all is downstairs, I wonder what the upstairs is like!_

Hinata ran to the staircase, almost hitting the movers.

"Sorry!" she called as she ran up the stairs.

Upon reaching the second floor she stuck her head in every room, one was light pink with flower patterns, another was a master bedroom with a few dusty, empty boxes, but none had windows like the one she had seen out front. There were no stairs on this floor either; the whole ordeal confused her. Hinata went through every room again, but all she could discover was a sandy feeling stuffed bunny. Standing in the hall brushing the toy off, she could hear her dad downstairs. He was directing the movers on where to put all of the boxes and furniture. Frustrated with the sudden dullness of things, she turned to leave. Unfortunately for Hinata, her shirt caught on something and pulled her back, causing her to hit her head on the wall. From this angle she got a glimpse of the ceiling…there was some line running along it. Standing up and tilting her head, she noticed it was like a rope, and that there was a big rectangular shape outlining it. The cord was taped to the ceiling and too far out of her reach. She went down the stairs to see if she could get a chair to stand on…but all she could locate that was easily movable was a footrest. Quickly parting it from its matching armchair, Hinata was back upstairs and placing it under the cord. She was able to reach it when she jumped, but the cord was short, and upon landing the jump the entire spot of ceiling came after her. The noise of it startled her into falling from the footrest. Landing flat on her back, the only thing that kept the ceiling from crashing onto her was that dear little footrest. Hinata rolled out from under everything and went to the nearest front view window. Her father was outside helping the movers, thank God. He was the type of father who might call the National Guard if she was so much as two minutes late somewhere…he might have had a heart attack if he heard that crash. Walking back and gently taking the footrest from under its attacker, Hinata looked up and saw dark green stairs leading to a blood red door. Very out of place in a pale blue and pastel yellow house.

Stepping on the shaky stairs and opening the door, Hinata found one of the most amazing rooms she had ever seen.

It was a colossal, dim, and dusty room that seemed as if it hadn't been used in ages. The old dark wood floors were raised and lowered in some areas, as if the previous occupant had wanted to experiment with platforms. There was a dead looking mattress on the side with the window Hinata had seen from the front. On the opposite wall there was another window with a dented bird cage under it. Across from her was a shelved area of the walls that was built in the perfect shape for a desk. Stepping off of the platform near the door Hinata walked to the middle of the room. The ceiling was high and looked like a million uneven boards were tossed up and had decided to never come down. The wooden floor creaked with every step she took.

"Dad! I found my room!"

* * *

Everything was finally settled when the doorbell rang. Hinata was in her room inspecting the stuffed bunny she had uncovered earlier and didn't feel like answering the door. The stuffed toy had on a once red, now faded rose colored dress, was now a dirty cream color instead of white, and had one loose eye and half of a smile. She liked it, and put it on her nightstand. It was looking at her stuffed bird, and she pretended they were chatting.

"Hinata! Come on down! Uncle Hizashi is here!" her father called up to her. Hinata liked her uncle very much; he was always nice to her when they would visit. Upon descending the stairs, Hinata realized why her father hadn't said anything more; also downstairs to visit was her cousin Neji. Hinata and Neji might've gotten along if they each weren't so excruciatingly stubborn. Hinata liked things original and unpredictable while Neji liked things to be orderly and routine. Neither of them would budge on their opinions, causing many disagreements during their meetings. Now they were looking at each other thinking: _Now I have to live next to this freak._

A small smile appeared on Hinata's face as she remembered the last time they met.

_FLASHBACK_

_An 11 year old Hinata was standing in the backyard glaring at a 12 year old Neji. _

"_I wanna catch tadpoles!" she repeated to him._

"_Well I don't, I'm not coming with you," Neji looked irritated._

"_But if I get lost again mom'll be mad. You know this area, come with me!" Hinata stamped her foot._

"_I don't want to do something so unsanitary and insignificant. There are other things I could do with my time," Neji turned and was walking away, leaving Hinata to look at the back of his departing head. She could see his hair, in a perfect ponytail and just as unsoiled as if he had never set foot outside that day. Running a hand through her own choppy-cut, leaf-filled hair, something sparked inside her. Without pausing to think, she ran up and bit the back of Neji's head._

_Neji whipped around seeing his cousin standing much closer than she was before, looking at him with round eyes. She looked like she was going to burst into a fit of giggles._

"_Did you just try to eat my head?" he took a step back._

"_No I did not," Hinata suddenly held a straight face._

"_I swear you just tried to eat my head."_

"_I did no such thing; you've been lying in the sun too long!"_

"_O-ok, see you later then."_

"_Bye!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

Now the two cousins were 16 and 17, junior and senior in high school, and they still had no good memories of each other.

"Hello Uncle…Neji. How are you today?" Hinata had to force herself from adding, 'Have you been lying in the sun too long?'

"Very well, thank you. My, it's been so long since I've seen you!" Hizashi beamed up at his niece, "Have you been in town? There are quite a few people who are curious as to who bought this house."

"Really?! Why?! Is it haunted? Were the other owners creepy? Weird in any way? Is there some strange story?" Hinata gushed out all of these questions in hope of something new. She was a little too used to this house already.

"Well, I'm not too sure. They were gone even before I got here," Hizashi looked outside, "But I think the owners of the coffee shop have lived here since then. They have a son about your age, maybe you two will be friends."

Hiashi didn't look too comfortable with that. He was always overprotective of Hinata, always asking where she was going and always telling her to keep her sell phone on and to be on time. Hinata had once thought that she and Neji were switched sometime during early childhood, Hizashi was very carefree unlike Neji and Hiashi was very punctual unlike Hinata. She had once told that theory to her mother, who laughed and laughed until Hinata dismissed the idea completely.

Now Hinata was sitting at the long dining room table with her uncle and cousin while her father got them all drinks.

"So, maybe Neji can show you around the school Monday?" Hizashi said it in the tone of a question, but really was stating that Nejiwould show her around. Hinata was looking at the two of them: her uncle with his messy shirt and paint covered jeans, and her cousin with his perfect polo and khakis. His shirt was even ironed, probably by himself, and the whole thing irritated Hinata. Why did he look so picture perfect?

* * *

She didn't remember how she got there. She just remembered knocking over a glass at Neji and then running into town. Not very far, for she didn't know her way yet. No, Hinata was now sitting in the rather empty coffee shop, the one she now lived behind. Being inside, she rather liked it. Every wall was painted a different color, not too light of a shade, but not too dark. The tables were interesting random shapes, all a light brown color. The counter was purple, just a little darker than the purple of her hair. There weren't many customers in, but when she bought a chai tea she saw a bit of the back. The upper floors must be residential; Hinata had seen a woman go up there with a pack of groceries. The blonde man at the counter was very nice.

------------

"You must be new," he had said, "I've seen just about everyone in this town before, whether they come in or simply pass by in curiosity."

"Yes, I just moved in." Hinata liked the place already.

"Ah, I have a son; he goes to the high school here. Maybe you'll meet him Monday," he smiled, "You are going to high school aren't you?"

"Yes," he handed her the tea, "Thanks."

------------

Hinata remembered what she had heard her family say as she ran out.

--------------

"_What was that for?! I didn't do anything? Geez, what's her problem?!"_

"_Neji! Be nice! You know about her problem!"_

"_God, can't she learn a little self-control?"_

"_I'm sorry, let me get you a towel."_

"_Where's she going?"_

"_I don't care, just as long as it's away from me!"_

"_Neji!"_

--------------

Hinata stared into her cup of tea. Her father would make her apologize, he'd repay the damages, and everything would go back to normal. It always did. And that made her angry. Just because she's a little different, they have to try to make everything perfect for her? No conflict in her life? In real life, not everything's always solved easily; sometimes it never is. _I guess I'll have to go home soon. _Standing up, Hinata noticed someone else behind the counter. There was the man who worked there, and someone else he was talking to in the back. They were wearing an aged looking orange shirt and some slightly torn jeans, and had blonde hair just like the man, but theirs was messier. The boy seemed to be Hinata's age. _Is that his son?_ Hinata wondered as she left the shop.

-------------

That night, Hinata finally had her first day of school jitters. She had another day, but still felt like she had to prepare somehow. _What if the people here don't like me? Or my problems? _She lay on her bed on the top floor, holding the worn out bunny and her stuffed bird. She felt like everywhere she went, people would reject her, or just avoid her. But, for some reason, she felt safe in the coffee shop; like nothing bad would come her way.

She noted to herself to go back tomorrow.

* * *

**i'm sorry if i bored the crap out of you with the long paragraphs and such. please let me know if you like it! **

**reviews are my motivation!**

**iamsarcasm **


	2. Chapter 2

**yes yes i know**

**it's been a while.**

**i haven't done anything online with either of my stories lately. i'm very sorry, but i do have stuff going on; like breathing, homework, pulsating, tests, and PROJECTS. way too many. i honestly don't feel like doind any of them.**

**however, that is besides the point.**

**for both Not the Life I'd Fancied and Accused of Witchcraft (if anyone even reads both...) i have a notebook that i take to all of my classes and write the chapters in. most of it is in there, i haven't found the time to get on the computer at home. **

**again i am sorry.**

* * *

Hinata woke up to her quilt still around her. Usually she'd end up kicking the covers off in her sleep, but this morning the only thing on the floor was a small pillow. She was able to avoid as much talking with her father the other day, but today was the Sunday before school so he'd be very concerned if she was gloomy. Hinata got out of bed and changed into faded camouflage pants and a purple tank top. She usually wore purple shirts, in hopes that the color of the shirt would balance out the color of her hair…but maybe it just looked odd, or added to the mess of color. She wanted badly to go back to the coffee shop; she had only been there once but it felt like a safe haven. Like a place where nothing was ever perfect. That was just the kind of place she liked; just like the attic bedroom. Hinata shoved her feet into her old green sneakers and went downstairs.

"Good morning, sweetie," Hiashi greeted his daughter, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Hinata couldn't wait to get out, "Hey, dad, I'm gonna go around town for a bit. You know, to get a feel for the place so I don't get lost after school." Her father looked approving but thoughtful.

"Ok…but take your phone with you. And watch out for cars, wild animals, and strangers."

"I know dad!" Hinata was already running out the door with her tan floral backpack. _Geez, I'm not five! _she thought.

She raced out the door without thinking about where she was going. Before long she was in the middle of the downtown area sitting on a bench near a fountain. Across the street was a small second-hand clothing shop that looked really cute. Walking in, Hinata saw racks of every style of clothing in every color. She mindlessly wandered over to some purple clothes, and before long she felt a presence. Jerking her head around she saw a platinum blonde with crystal clear blue eyes smiling at her.

"Hi! You must be new; I haven't seen you around before. Are you coming to the local high school? You look about my age. Hey, your eyes look familiar, have I seen you before?" this girl sure seemed to like the sound of her own voice, "Oh, I'm so so sorry, barraging you with questions like that! I haven't even said my own name, I'm so sorry! My name's Ino!" The cheery blonde held out her hand for Hinata to shake; her fingernails had light blue polish that was chipped, as if it had been on for weeks. It matched her outfit: Ino was sporting a blue vintage t-shirt with a white jean jacket, a matching white jean skirt that ended just above the knee, white tennis shoes, and blue striped knee-high socks. Hinata thought Ino's outfit was cute, but she doubted it would maintain its charm if she were the wearer.

Without any of her questions answered, Ino suddenly started talking again.

"Oh! Oh! You should come meet some of my friends! Then you'll know people at school tomorrow!" Ino grabbed Hinata's arm and ran outside. She had good intentions, but was rather wild.

There was someone one on a bench across the street talking to another person who was leaning against a small tree. Ino tugged Hinata across the street without a care in the world; they startled the driver of a mini cooper who sat there for a few moments even after the two girls were out of the way. Ino let go of Hinata's arm when they got to the bench. She ran around it and proceeded to poke the sitting person's cheeks.

"This is Shikamaru! He's ultra-lazy, but ultra-cute!" Ino poked the said lazy boy repeatedly. He seemed not to care…or he was just waiting for her attention to turn away from him.

"And this is Sakura!" Ino patted the head of the girl standing by the tree. Unlike the dark-haired boy on the bench, Sakura had pink hair and was wearing light brown khaki capris and a red and white striped shirt. Hinata's hand absentmindedly went to her own hair; it was also a rather strange color. Her fingers caught in her straight purple hair: long, choppy, and unevenly layered. Hinata remembered herself and said her hellos to the motley crew.

"Sakura here," Ino spoke up, "Is someone you'll get along well with. She's a great friend…when we're not battling over grades."

"These two," Shikamaru said, "Go insane over the slightest decimal point."

"Well, like you have to worry," Sakura turned to him, "You never need to worry about scholarships and such, you're a freaking genius!"

They continued on their conversation as if all was normal, Hinata was appreciative that they weren't making a big deal about her being there with them. Ino continued on to inform Hinata about the town, school, and people.

* * *

It had been a good ten minutes and Hinata wasn't quite listening to Ino's rambling as she walked along with the little group. Ino would say things like "Oh, and there's the library" or "And then this is a great noodle restaurant" and then launch into some story about what happened the last five times she went there. Not even Sakura or Shikamaru, who were sometimes included in the stories, seemed to be listening.

"And then...oh, two friends of ours live in those apartments: Sasuke and Ten Ten...well, Ten Ten is more of an acquaintance...she's a year older and hangs out with this guy Lee and this other guy..." Ino's face suddenly looked like she'd been struck by the lightning of realization, "Neji! That's who you reminded me of! Are you his sister or something?"

Hinata almost cringed. Being compared to Neji wasn't the greatest compliment in her opinion. Fortuitously, Ino's attention span gave out before Hinata had to answer.

_Oh no, what if I have to deal with "You look like Neji" all day at school tomorrow? Great...maybe I'll get in classes with people who don't know him, _Hinata thought. As she thought, the group stood for a red light at the crosswalk. Just coming up into her right peripheral vision was a bike tire. Hinata turned to see the blonde boy from the back of the coffee shop; now standing next to her and smiling brightly.

"Hey, guys...you didn't tell me there was someone new around!" he smiled brightly down at Hinata; even standing next to his bike he was a good three inches taller than Hinata, "Hey there, my name's Naruto!"

The boy's bright blonde hair, smile, and slightly too loud voice were his most distinguishing features, or so it seemed to Hinata.

"Oh!" Ino realized who just came up, "Yeah, this is Naruto, he has a lot of classes with me. He's pretty nice...but don't get him excited or he'll forget to use his inside voice."

"It's not that bad..." Naruto scratched the back of his head. Looking at him, he was a lot different than Neji; she didn't feel the irritation of something too perfect. In fact, none of these people were irritating to her. They all seemed calming and comfortable in a way. Shikamaru with his low, monotone voice, Sakura with her wild pink hair, Ino and her ever-running mouth, and now Naruto, sporting worn down jeans and a much-used hoodie, and his supposed loudness.

For the first time in a long time, Hinata felt comfortable around other people. She was starting to feel like she really belonged somewhere, much unlike her old town full of ironed uniforms and manicured lawns. Hinata used to have only one friend in that place, a rebel named Becky; but then Becky moved. Hinata had envied her friend for her freedom from the perfect town.

Just then she realized someone was talking to her.

"So, where'd you move in?" Sakura had stepped aside from Ino's chatter.

"Um, I live in the farmhouse, Victorian-looking...things. The, uh, the Hyuuga...residence I guess," she wasn't too sure of what to call it. Her house almost seemed as if it wasn't a part of the town, the way its yards opened up to forests.

"Hey, you live there?" Naruto was already a little loud, "I live in that big-ass coffee shop right in front! Speaking of which...oh yeah! I've gotta go finish running errands for my dad! See ya'll later!" The group flinched at the volume of his departing words.

"Hey, it's about noon," Ino stated, "Do you wanna come have lunch with us?"

Hinata thought of her father's two possible reactions:

"How nice, you're making friends."

Or

"What did I say about strangers?"

She decided that saying she'd met friends at school would be easier, "Um, I should be home for lunch."

"Ok. See you at school then!" Ino chimed.

* * *

The group had been rather close to her house, so after saying goodbye Hinata's walk was only a few minutes long.

Hinata had almost tried to unlock her uncle's front door. After walking up absent-mindedly, the key not fitting and the sight of Neji reading in the seat by the window reminded her that she had the blue house, not the red one. She ran to the other porch without any family members noticing.

Opening the large door, she found the place to be empty. _Dad must be grocery shopping or something_, Hinata thought. Coming home to an empty house made her think of the days when her mother was with them. However...she never supplied the greatest of greetings.

* * *

Within the ten minutes she was home Hinata had eaten a small arrangement of fruit, then decided to take the dusty toy bunny outside. Its loose black eyes glittered in the sun, and she spent a while looking at it._What kind of things has it seen? I wonder if it was part of the previous owner's stuff, _Hinata thought as she gazed at the toy. Her silent questions, however, were left to be answered by the sound of the wind gently parting the many leaves of the forest. The rather tall grass was about half-way up her calves, and the stiff blades rustled against her pants. She liked the way the colors of her camouflage pants blended with the various colors of the grassy yard. Thinking of the saying "The grass is always greener on the other side," Hinata ran to her uncle's yard and lay down in it. Her now horizontal line of vision showed her both yards from a ground view. Their grass was just as green as her's; knowing that gave her a peace of mind. Here in the grass, no one was better than anyone else.

"What are you doing?" Hinata looked up to see Neji on his deck about twelve feet away. Neji was looking down at his little cousin in the grass.

The two stared at each other: one thinking about how someone could just lay around in the sullied, prickly grass; the other thinking about how someone could not lay in the fresh, calming grass. The staring continued. Neji forgot he had set the stove timer. Hinata's hand forgot it was holding the bunny. The strange bout might not have ended had a car not pulled up in the driveway.

"Neji, Hinata, good to see you two are getting along!" Hizashi stepped out of his car and could see the two from there. The cousins were just now returning from their stupor. Hizashi took this time to go back into his beat up vehicle and return with a small stack of papers.

"Hinata, I stopped by the school and got you some stuff about the classes and after school clubs. Your schedule's in here too," Hizashi handed the packet to his niece, who was now standing.

"Cool, thanks," taking the packet, Hinata noticed her schedule was on top. It read:

(homeroom-health-spanish-english-geometry-lunch-biology-history).

* * *

It was about seven at night. Hinata was leafing through the papers her uncle had given her while Hiashi made dinner. So far, she had read about her first three classes, and not one sounded fairly interesting. She imagined what going to school here would be like: boring school, interesting people. The group she met today were nice; quite a motley crew. Hinata wondered what it would be like to hang around them on a daily basis. It seemed fun. She hadn't had more than one friend at her old school; everyone thought she was a freak for her almost violent perfection issues. Hinata set the papers on her nightstand by the bunny and bird. She was downstairs for a while, even after dinner, so she never heard her phone vibrate.

* * *

**sorry the story hasn't gone very far. **

**i have more but haven't typed it.**

**coming soon to an apocolypse near you,**

**iamsarcasm **


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay! chapter three is up!**

**well, it's late and i don't have very much to say...except for the fact that i listened to the song Dog on Wheels by Belle and Sebastian about fifty times in a day. i still love that song though!**

* * *

Hinata woke up to the timed alarm on her phone going off. However, the alarm's starting time didn't match the current time. _Has this thing been beeping...for thirty minutes?! God--now I only have fifteen minutes left! Dammit! _

This was a prime example of how Hinata was more like her mother than her father; Hinata and her mother always felt rushed no matter the amount of time they were given, while Hiashi felt he could do anything in ten minutes or less. The only difference between Hinata feeling rushed and her mother feeling rushed was that Hinata didn't go into hysteric fits. Living with her mother...Hinata didn't blame her little sister for rushing off to a private boarding school. However, in the last few phone calls Hanabi didn't sound like things were going very well for her there. Hinata and her little sister got along very well, and she hoped Hanabi was okay.

Just as Hinata came down the stairs in an ankle-length camouflage skirt and a light purple tank top (a style that seems to be a pattern in her wardrobe), Hiashi came running into the hallway.

"I'm sorry, I can't drive you to school. Go to your uncle's; he can take you and Neji," Hiashi was going through the house, grabbing his papers, keys, and his phone.

"What? Why?" Hinata just stood there watching her father dart around. She had a weird feeling; partially because he never rushed, and also because he was muttering something about how lucky it was to have a bigger house now.

"I'll be at the train station, my phone's on. Have a nice day at school! Come right home!"

"But dad, where are you...wait, you mean subway? Not train station."

"Yeah, that. I might be home a little later than you. If there's an emergency, call me and then go to your uncle! Or the other way around! Bye!" Hinata watched him dash out the door and instantly felt the house calm. Knowing she herself was late, she stuffed her phone and schedule into her backpack and headed right for her uncle's house, failing to notice the fifty one new voice messages.

* * *

The school itself was...a disappointment. Hinata had been expecting some modern-retro building to match the rest of the town. Unfortunately, the school building was a massive, dark brick structure that looked old enough to have seen a few wars. Hinata just stood on the front lawn, sizing up the building as it stared right back down at her. She didn't notice the thudding footsteps coming her way.

"Nana-chan!!!" somebody screeched as they tackled Hinata in a hug. Hinata didn't say anything, she just wore a "wtf?" expression.

"Wow, I haven't seen you since...whoa, since you were shorter than me! Now we're about the same height, ah ha ha!!!" The girl had brown hair that want past her shoulder blades, but it was her laugh that jogged Hinata's memory.

"Ten Ten...?" Hinata remembered coming here to visit when she was younger and a nice older girl coming to play with her. She was one of Neji's friends, but wasn't stuck-up and thought Hinata was just the cutest little kid in the world. As a matter of fact, Hinata also remembered playing secret spy with a boy about Ten Ten's age who was also a friend of Neji's, and looked around to see if he was here now with Ten Ten.

"Yay, you remember! Actually, it'd be totally awkward right now if you didn't, ha ha ha!" Ten Ten's laugh was rather loud, "I heard you just moved in here. How are you liking the place?" Ten Ten's onslaught of questions was a bit like Ino's, but came with lag time, thank God.

"It's a nice place," Hinata answered, not sure of any other reaction.

"Hey, lemme see your schedule. I can prolly show you to your next class!" the older girl smiled. Over the past years she hadn't lost any of her kindness.

* * *

Hinata was just walking into the mostly empty health class when she felt her phone vibrate in her backpack. _Thank goodness it's on silent,_Hinata thought as she walked further in.

"Excuse me, are you Hinata Hyuuga?" the teacher asked. Hinata nodded in response.

"There's someone asking for you in the office. Go down the hall and to the right."

Hinata stood there for a moment wondering why anyone would need to see her on her very first day, then she realized she was standing there pondering over the teacher's words like an idiot.

Once out in the hall she decided to check her phone. There were fifty two new voice messages?! They started coming from about midnight last night and kept coming up until a minute ago. They all were from some unidentified number. _What the heck? _Hinata opened the office door to see a lady at a huge desk, most likely the principal, and a small kid in one of the three chairs sitting in front of the massive, dark wood desk. The child turned around, causing Hinata to resume her "wtf?" face.

"Finally!" the little girl was wearing knee-length jean shorts, a chibi panda printed shirt, and a McDaniel's Northwestern Private School jacket. Her little face was a 12-year-old version of Hinata's.

"Ha...nabi?" Hinata looked over at the side of the room, which had three large suitcases with animal stickers on them. Besides the difference in height, the only way to tell the sisters apart was that Hinata's hair was a dark purple and Hanabi's was an extremely dark blue.

* * *

"And I was calling you to see if you'd pick me up from the subway, but you never answered. Then I guess dad had come in to wake you up or something because he picked up and was all, like, freaking out! As if I can't be in a subway by myself. Geez," Hanabi was more ranting than replaying the scenes, "And then I was all like, 'Oh crap, he's gonna flip out on me,' so I decided to find you first."

"B-but, how did you know--"

"It's a Monday and there's only one high school in this town," Hanabi loved proving herself smart.

"Well," interrupted the principal, whose nameplate read Tsunade, "Is there any way you can get home before school lets out?" Hinata shrugged and Hanabi shook her head.

Tsunade sighed, "Hmm, ah, you'll be in ninth grade soon enough...I suppose following your sister around for the day will be alright. However, if there're any problems--"

"I know, I know, I'll be good!" Hanabi grabbed her side strap purse and sister's hand and headed for the door, "I'm gonna leave my bags in here, 'kay?" Once they were out of the office and into the hallway, Hanabi glanced at the clock and sighed.

"We should hang out here for a minute or two; your first class is almost over. Wow, that took a while. For a second there I thought that lady was just gonna call dad and--"

Hinata grabbed her little sister's shoulder, "Hanabi, what do you think you're doing, dropping out and running away like that?! Why didn't you call dad or Uncle Hizashi...or somebody?!"

"Who's the other somebody, Neji?" Hanabi averted her eyes as she spoke, focusing on adjusting her purse strap, "I really hated it there. You know how you said people were at your school, all proper and perfect? Well, that's how it was there, except we wore our neatly creased uniforms six days of the week, even after school. It was all just so...irritating! And then, when dad told me about moving here, I remembered all of the nice people and the cool buildings, and the landscapes and everything! It all sounded so much better, and maybe here I'd have friends who were...well, normal. People who didn't cry tears of massive emo hatred when they got and A-minus!!!!"

"Well, yes...I mean, how did you even get out?"

"I hadn't used any of my vacation days for a little over a year, so I just told them I was told to came and see the new house. It's surprisingly easy to leave without parental consent; the teachers all think you're too goody-good to lie...please let me stay!!! I'll hide upstairs and be really quiet! And I can grab food when dad's at work. Please?"

"What?! You think I can just...just hide you?! Dad already went to the subway, and if he can't find you he'll...he'll have a heart attack or something just thinking about what might've happened to you! And uncle's picking me up, so he'll know...and Neji, and..."

"You worry too much..." Hanabi observed.

"Worry? I have every right to worry! My little sister saved up about two years of Christmas and birthday money to take buses and underground trains half-way across the country by herself without telling anyone!!!!! If you'd gotten kidnapped or murdered or something, dad and I would just be sitting around still thinking you were at school!!!!!"

"Shut up!" Hanabi nearly screamed, "You and I both know he thinks we're a huge...burden!" Hanabi's little face turned red and Hinata got quite. It was true, when the girls were small they had once overheard their father saying that two people with a mental defect wasn't as hard as dealing with three, but when the two were little children it sure wasn't easy. Hanabi didn't get it until later in her life, and Hinata had gotten scared thinking there was something defected in her brain. She couldn't sleep that night because she thought her brain might blow-up or melt. The next day Hinata had found a packet in her dad's office that said, Living with Others with OCD. At least she wasn't going to blow up.

Just then the bell rang and people flooded out of the rooms.

"So now what?" Hinata grabbed her relatively short sister out of the way of all the people. Hanabi looked up at her with a smile.

"We," Hanabi put emphasis on the word, "Go to second hour."

* * *

Hinata sat in Spanish with her little sister next to her. Tsunade must've informed the teachers, because none of the ones they walked past made a scene. Or maybe they thought Hanabi was just a petite student. When in the classroom, Hanabi just whipped out a notebook and sat quietly writing. So far, the class was alright; nothing was awkward for the new kid with the tag-along sister...except for the girl sitting in front of her. Hinata found the girl's perfect ringlets to be rather unnerving. Hanabi sent her sibling a weird look, mostly of understanding. They had always been like this, together. Hinata could still remember helping a four year old Hanabi scribble with markers on the pure white of her arm cast, it had annoyed them both to pieces but they had so much fun with all of the markers. Now Hinata felt the need to reach out and flick a curl out of place. Before she could act, however, the girl sitting in front of her turned around to face her.

"Hi! My name's Meiu," the curly-haired girl introduced herself, "So, where exactly did you come from?" She had a kind smile but didn't seem very sincere. Hinata forced a smile, "Um, some wanna-be-high-end place."

Meiu's eyes widened, "Oh! That sounds cool, what's it like?"

_Oh great, I didn't mean to spur her interest. It's not really all that cool or high end, _Hinata thought of the multiple wanna-bes living there, inwardly grimacing at the memories.

"Well," she didn't want to seem rude, "It was...ok..."

* * *

Now after third hour English, Hinata and Hanabi were walking with Ino and Naruto. The blonde and the platinum blonde each had no problem with Hanabi being with them, in fact Ino wanted to go to Sakura's class to brag about how she got to have classes with Hinata's cute little sister.

Hinata was utterly relieved that she had classes with at least two people she knew, even if she had to face the first two hours alone. Hinata was even glad to have Hanabi back from her school; now she'd have someone who understands her at home.

On their way to the math class the group passed Meiu at her locker. Meiu smiled at Hinata and then went back to getting her books, and when the group was a bit farther from her Ino turned to Hinata.

"So...you met Meiu?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Hinata wasn't sure of Ino's intent, "Why? Is there something wrong with her?" Hinata immediately felt bad after hearing her own sentence; it had come out sounding kind of mean. She really didn't like judging people.

"Ummmm," Ino didn't seem to notice what Hinata was brooding over, "Not really," she dragged out the last word.

"She's crazy," Naruto was pretty blunt, "If you get to know her, you'll see what I mean."

Hinata wanted to ask if he knew Meiu from somewhere other than school, but they had already arrived at the classroom. This time, Hanabi seemed to be paying attention, though she would pause to scribble in her notebook from time to time.

"What're ya writing?" Naruto asked her once. Hanabi simply looked at him and said, "Story," then continued writing.

Sometime near the end of class Hanabi poked Hinata's shoulder for her attention.

"Are there two Meius?" Hanabi questioned.

"Umm," Hinata had no clue what her younger family member was talking about.

"Cause I just saw her walk by in a different outfit," Hanabi seemed very positive of her observation. Hinata, on the other hand, was a little more doubtful.

"Hey," Ino turned around to face Hinata, "Lunch is next, we see Sakura, Sasuke, and Shikamaru then. And sometimes Ten Ten comes by, but the freshman/sophomore lunchroom is separate from the junior/senior one."

* * *

Ino and most others brought their lunches and Hanabi used up her leftover travel change because she refused to eat anything that wasn't sealed, so Hinata went by herself to the lunch line. It was there where she experienced the Twilight Zone. She saw Meiu and Meiu the Second talking to...themselves, herself...? The original Meiu noticed her, "Hey, how are you liking things so far?" Meiu Two turned, and Hinata now knew how to tell them apart. Meiu had curly, dark brown hair, a peppy smile, and a clean dress that made Hinata think of tea parties. Meiu Two had lighter brown, sort of wavy hair, wore an oversized, grey hoodie, and had the slightly sad look of an abused stuffed animal.

"Uh, this place is...alright," Hinata answered.

"Oh, this is my sister Masha!" Meiu pushed her double forward, "Say hi Masha!"

Masha was a few inches shorter than both of the other girls so she had to look up at Hinata for her greeting.

Before the other two had gotten their lunches, Meiu ran off somewhere, so Hinata thought to invite Masha to sit with them. Everyone welcomed Masha warmly, as if they completely preferred Masha to Meiu. Masha sat by Hanabi; the two were the quietest at the table, Masha reading and Hanabi writing. Hinata looked around at those sitting at the table: her new group of friends.

* * *

Science was rather uneventful, leaving the last class of history. Hanabi was getting a little restless, probably due to facing dad soon, and started muttering comments from her seat between Hinata and Naruto. Hinata had to keep poking her to shut her up.

"Dictators rise up to power," the teacher said, "They rule by force. Where do they usually come from?"

"They come outta nowhere," Hanabi muttered, earning a poke in the ribs from her older sister.

* * *

Hinata was now dragging her sister's bags to the student drop-off area while Hanabi carried Hinata's books and backpack.

"So what are you gonna say to dad?" Hinata didn't really want any part in their soon to come argument. She now knew why Hiashi was rushing around this morning.

"Umm..." Hanabi was looking up at Neji, who had just come over. Neji was taller than Hinata, who was quite a bit taller than Hanabi, so Neji appeared to be towering over the littlest Hyuuga.

"Hi," Hanabi said, almost craning her neck to see him, "Um...hi."

Neji just continued to stare at her until his father came to pick them up.

"Ha-Hanabi?!" Hizashi stared out the window at the little Hyuuga, who was now feeling weird because Neji hadn't stopped staring at her.

"Umm...hi!" the young girl smiled, hoping for him to just drive them home without an explanation.

_Oh dear, _Hinata thought, _this is gonna be an interesting night..._

* * *

**well? was it good? i sure hope so, cause i worked really hard!**

**the very first time i wrote "Meiu Two" it made me think of Pokemon, and how if you went up to me in first grade and asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" i would have looked at you with total seriousness and said "a pokemon master."**

**ahh, i was a weird little kid...but hey, weren't we all?**

**i will now ascend into the sky with a deafening moo,**

**iamsarcasm **_  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Agh! yes, it has been a million years! i'm sorry, but it was life, man. first it was many, much work, the next week it was all housework, the next week was "foreign language week" which is basically a million projects due in the course of three days, and now, i'm sick and about to go out of town for the first half of spring break...**

**anyways, sorry about the short chapter with no action. i'm tired and demotivated...**

* * *

Hinata was now dragging her sister's bags to the student drop-off area while Hanabi carried Hinata's books and backpack.

"So what are you gonna say to dad?" Hinata didn't really want any part in their soon to come argument. She now knew why Hiashi was rushing around this morning.

"Umm..." Hanabi was looking up at Neji, who had just come over. Neji was taller than Hinata, who was quite a bit taller than Hanabi, so Neji appeared to be towering over the littlest Hyuuga.

"Hi," Hanabi said, almost craning her neck to see him, "Um...hi." 

Neji just continued to stare at her until his father came to pick them up.

"Ha-Hanabi!" Hizashi stared out the window at the little Hyuuga, who was now feeling weird because Neji hadn't stopped staring at her.

"Umm...hi!" the young girl smiled, hoping for him to just drive them home without an explanation.

_Oh dear, _Hinata thought, _this is gonna be an interesting night..._

* * *

* * *

**And now, to the present tense...**

"Hanabi! Your father! He's been looking all over for you, where have you---wait!"

Hanabi took off running towards the back of the school.

"Hanabi!" Hinata ran off after her little sister, leaving the bags she was carrying on the ground.

* * *

"Hanabi, what are we going to do now?" Hinata had finally caught up to her younger sister, who was now up in a tree behind the school. There was a pair of doors and a bike rack not too far from where they were. However, the sides of the school were far too crowded for a car to drive around to the back of the building.

"Hanabi!" Hinata could only see the child's feet, "How are we going to get home? Did you ever even think of that? We live all the way across town and neither of us knows how to get through these streets!"

The little feet up in the tree shifted, "I was thinking, about what to say to dad...and all of his possible angry comebacks...it never really occurred to me that I'd have to see Uncle, too." Hanabi's little face was hidden by the leaves, so she could look sad without her sister worrying. 

"Maybe I should go back..."

"No, you already came all this way," Hinata was happy to have her sister back, even if it all seemed to be a hassle, "And besides, that was a really brave thing for you to do, coming all the way out here by yourself! Not many kids your age...or even my age would be able to travel half-way across the country all by themselves, knowing that they'd just come home to a angry parent. It takes a lot of guts to break the regular cycle of your routine life, even if you only have to do something small." As she said this, Hinata kicked over a smooth, flat rock, exposing its dirty, jagged underside.

"Where do you think Uncle and Neji went?" Hanabi shifted in the tree.

"Well...maybe they went to find dad. To at least let him know you're ok...so, about us getting home..." Hinata couldn't think of any way for them. Neither had any money for bus fares, nor did they know which stop to get off at. Hinata didn't feel comfortable enough to walk up to someone on the street and ask for directions either.

"Hm, I know we don't have money...isn't there anyone who lives even remotely close to us, that you know of? We could walk with them...not that I'm eager to run home and chat with dad..." Hanabi's sentence sparked her older sister's memory.

"Naruto!"

"Hm? The blonde dude?" Hanabi asked, "What about him?"

"We've gotta go find him before he leaves! He lives, like, right in front of us!" Hinata felt a lot better having at least a good chance at getting home.

"Oh, well isn't that convenient?" Hanabi muttered as she climbed down from the tree, relieved but at the same time annoyed at the twist of fate for the two of them.

* * *

**Hmm, so tired.**

**see you later in my mind,**

**iamsarcasm**


	5. Chapter 5

OOOHH! so sorry for not being able to update! there's been death in the family and state traveling and i've been sick for days at a time, various times. AND i still have schoolwork!

this is just to tell you that it will be a while before i update again. so you all don't think i disappeared and died (which is what most of my classmates thought...--")

once i DO update the story, i'll probably just end up taking this little letter down and posting the new chapter in it's place.

sigh gomen!

i really can't help all of these delays!

(although, i don't quite know why i'm apologizing as i can't really help it, and now you all might be thinking, 'what a polite author...' or maybe just 'weird-o, why are you apologizing to me?' truth is, i feel bad when i don't do something that i tell myself i will, and i feel the need to apologize...)

ok! now here's a little head's up! chapter completion: 32!!

not much, but me and my brilliant mind will do our best!

**iamsarcasm**

**you know it's going to be a bad day when you fall out of bed and miss the floor**


End file.
